Author's note: I think the story has got two or three more chapters to go, but I'm also going to write an Epilogue as well.
Puffgirl1952: I really want to make a sequel, but at the same time, I'm struggling on how to fit it without making the protagonists too old or have too many, and at the same time, if I do it before I can finally put in the storyline of Sailor Moon's final battle against...well, in season 14 which is still yet to be made, and it'll be based on the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3 game which still hasn't had even a release date yet.
In any case, let's get some flying action and hope not to get airplane sick, and continue reading. I don't own anything here.
Chapter fifteen: "A little Help would be Useful."
After escaping the hypnotized mob and having gotten out of the sewers, while Terraence returned to the Museum to fix up any damage, and Team Rocket, being themselves, ran off somewhere who knows where, Sailor Moon and the rest of the group, joined by Ardeth Bay, recovered the car after quickly fixing it up, and made their way to a small airport Rick directed them, where he knew Winston would be.
The old man in general, was sitting in a chair, drinking tea, with a young man standing next them, holding up an umbrella so that the old pilot wouldn't roast in the sun, and listening to an 1920's old record he had for years which was originally owned by his grandfather, which it played an old Spanish music(Which, admittedly, isn't that bad considering).
"Mornin', Winston." Rick greeted as he and the others got out of the car and walked up to Rick's old friend, ready to ask for his help to stop the Mummy who has powers that is just as strong... well, not as strong as the Silver Crystal, but pretty damn strong. "Uh, a word?"
After Winston was told on the situation, he inquired, "And what's your little problem got to do with his Majesty's Royal Air Corps?"
"Not a damn thing." Rick admitted.
This has got Winston's interest, as he set his tea aside, and asked curiously, "Is it dangerous?"
"Yeah, you probably won't live through it." Rick answered, only to rechieve a slap from Sailor Mercury. The man glanced at the blue-haired teenaged girl and asked, "What?"
"By Jove, do you really think so?" Winston asked. He looked eager to do this more than refuse, which made the Sailor Scouts, Tuxedo Mask and even Ardeth to all glance at each other.
"Are all your elders this strange?" Ardeth asked to Sailor Moon who shrugged.
Sailor Moon then answered, "My bet is that as anybody gets older, they get a lot more crazier. In fact, there are some old people who try to act like little kids, which is totally creepy."
"Like my grandpa for example." Sailor Mars added in a grumble and a sweatdrop. She should know, because sometimes, even though her grandfather was wisdom since he was the priest of the Cherry Hill Temple back in Japan, he has this thing about young women, and he showed no signs of slowing down, and being such a snoop, asking a zillion annoying questions on what his granddaughter and her friends would talk about.
"What's the uh-What's the challenge then?" Winston asked as he stood up.
"We're gonna rescue our friend who was kidnapped," Sailor Moon began.
"Kill the bad guy," Rick added.
"And save Earth." Sailor Jupiter concluded.
At this, Winston gave a laugh as he smirked, then said, "Winston Havelock, at your service, sir!" saluting at the group and laughed again.
"Let's hope that the plane is big enough for all of us." Sailor Moon mumbled.
Hopes were dashed, as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask found themselves strapped above Rick who was in the back-seat of the plane, with Sailor Mars to Tuxedo Mask's left, and Sailor Jupiter to Sailor Moon's right, both also strapped. Sailor Venus and Jonathan, who looked as scared as hell, were both strapped on the left side of the lower wing, and Sailor Mercury and Ardeth, who had a huge grin on his face as he was having the time of his life, both strapped on the right lower wing.
As a matter of fact, Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter(who still had her air-plane phobia) and Jonathan were not enjoying the ride a single bit. Sailor Moon looked ready to scream at any second as she had a total freaked out expression on her face, tears falling out of her eyes. How could anybody stand flying like this was beyond her.
(A/N: And I agree with her, because I'll admit it, I HATE flying and heights myself.)
"Things okay with you?" Rick called up to Sailor Moon and her group above him after he whistled to get their attention.
"Not really!" Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter(who looked green in the face), Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mars all cried out.
Next, Rick whistled to Sailor Venus and Jonathan, calling, "Are you all right?"
"NO!" Sailor Venus screamed, as she was scared crapless as well.
Jonathan held an irritated and scared look on his face and yelled, "DO I BLOODY LOOK ALL RIGHT!?" at the top of his lungs.
Rick then turned to Sailor Mercury and Ardeth, whistling and called, "How're ya doin'?"
"Not too bad!" Sailor Mercury admitted, not as freaked out as most of her friends or Jonathan. She then gazed at Ardeth and added, "And I think he's having fun!"
Sailor Moon sweatdropped at this and muttered, "How could he have fun like this?" staring at Ardeth as she had heard the comment Sailor Mercury said. She wasn't that she was afraid of planes, per se, she just hated being strapped like this, looking down below knowing that they could crash at any moment, considering Winston's such a scary pilot when flying. Not to mention that she felt that his desire to die made her uneasy and believing that such crazy desire would put their lives at risk.
Close to them, was a giant sand storm heading towards their destination, and was Winston made a comment to Rick that he has never seen a tornado that big, Sailor Mars suddenly sensed the familiar evil pressence and her eyes narrowed.
It was Imhotep who, having carried Evy and Beni in his sandstorm transport, flinged the two of them onto the ground, Beni landing on Evy who smacked him, scolding him in anger, "Get off me! Get off!"
As Beni got off Evy, he moaned in a shaky voice, "I need a new job." trying not to get sick. As he and Evy watched, Imhotep returned to normal and made his way past the two, standing as Evy got up and couldn't believe her eyes, while Beni spat out sand that managed to get into his mouth.
"Oh my god." Evy muttered. "We're back."
Just then, all three of them heard a sound of an airplane, and all looked up, the sight of the plane confirming it. They noticed nine people on it, most of them on the wings, flying by, and Evy instantly recongised one in the back seat and she smiled in relief and happiness. "O'Connell." she whispered. She wouldn't admit to anyone, but through out the entire incident, even if they had a few arguements and she got annoyed with him, Evy had fallen in love with Rick, and to see that he came back to save her was such a relief.
On the other hand, Imhotep wasn't impressed, because he recongised Sailor Moon's figure, and not willing to let the Moon Princess and her allies defeat him, he called upon his powers. To Evy's horror, and Beni's shocked awe, Imhotep gave a roar and magically raised the sands, forming it into a giant wall and commands it to chase after the air-plane.
Rick, having seated backwards, and with the gun-the Thompson, gripped in his hand, stared in horror as he saw the giant wall of sand heading straight towards them. "Oh, My, God." he muttered, with horror in his voice. He then called out to Winston, "Hey, Winston! Pedal faster!"
Sailor Moon turned her head as back as she could, looking over her shoulder, and gave out a terrified shriek, which made everyone else look over their shoulders and were all horrified as well...except for Winston who called out to them, "Hang on, men and ladies!" as he pushed the control stick forward for a dive down a cliff and rightened it up again, hoping to escape the sand storm.
Sadly, it refused to give up as it continued after them and was getting closer and closer. Just then, the face of Imhotep appeared in the sand storm, grinning evilly at them. Rick then powered up the Thomspon and fired, yelling. Too bad it didn't do much effect as the head seemed to be laughing at them and moving around.
"This is bad! This is seriously bad!" Sailor Jupiter cried out.
Sailor Moon then called out to Sailor Mars, "Do something with your fire!"
"ME!? Are you crazy!?" Sailor Mars shrieked in shock.
"But doesn't fire melt sand into glass or something!?" Sailor Moon asked in horrified desperation, only to rechieve shocked looks from Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars, now a bit freaked out that Sailor Moon even knew how glass was made, since she was still an under-graded student even at High-School.
Then Sailor Mars felt stupid for not thinking about that the moment the sand storm appeared behind them. "Oh yeah. Good thinking." She muttered, before turning as best as she could around the right, though it was difficult due to being strapped to a plane, and aimed her right hand towards the sand storm, and while trying not to get to Tuxedo's pants, which made him nervous since he knew the risk of being burned, and was sweating nervously and in embarrassment, Sailor Mars concenrated and gave out a cry.
"MARS, FIRE, IGNIGHT!" fire came from her finger tips and blasted at the sand storm, making some damage, and even the sand were turning and melt into glass which fell onto the ground below, breaking instantly.
Unfortuantely she had to stop when she noticed that Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon were both accidently slightly burnt comically, but thankfully without their clothes being burnt into crispt, and Sailor Mars blushed in embarrassment. So much for Sailor Moon's idea.
"Next time, use your left hand to aim your fire!" Sailor Moon scolded angrily.
"I can't do that, for your information!" Sailor Mars yelled. "I'm only right handed, not ambidextrous!"
"Ambi-what now?" Sailor Moon asked, puzzled, much to her friend's frustration.
To add to everything else, Imhotep's face seemed to have laughed at them, before it opened it's mouth and lunged at the plane. Tuxedo Mask quickly held his arm over Sailor Moon along with the cape to protect her, Rick pulled down his goggles and ducked down in his seat, and everyone else did their best to brace themselves as the sand storm mouth swallowed them up.
On the ground, Evy turned to Imhotep who now had his eyes closed and concenrated on killing his enemies, and she cried out, "Stop it! You'll kill them!"
"That's the idea." Beni muttered.
The plane was twirling and twisting out of control in the sandstorm, most of the group screaming, while Winston called out, "Here I come, laddies!" and gave a crazy outrageous laugh, as he flew the plane upside down.
On the ground, Evy rushed over to Imhotep, and, then an idea formed in her mind. As much as she didn't like it, she was willing to risk it in saving the others. Staring at him for a second, before she placed her hands on the man's cheeks and kissed him, turning him away from the sand, and he opened his eyes in shock on what she was doing. To Evy's relief as she glanced behind Imhotep, the sand storm disappeared and the plane reappeared. Letting go of Imhotep, Evy giggled in relief while the Mummy turned around in shock.
However, her face fell as the plan's engine exploded and then winced as the plane flew behind a sand dune and crashed. Great.
Staring at Evy for a moment, Imhotep shook his head before walking off, passing Beni who commented, "I loved the whole, sand all trick." adding, "It was...beautiful."
Then he remembered that Imhotep couldn't undersand him and Beni grumbled, "Bastard."
Meanwhile, the Plane was completely ruined and in pieces, and almost everyone were struggled to get off some parts of the broken air craft. Sailor Jupiter fell onto her back and groaned, swirls dancing in her eyes, almost like she was tramutized. Tuxedo Mask stood up wobbily, and helped the twice as wobbled Sailor Moon who was seeing multiable stars and pink elephants dance around her head.
Sailor Mercury and Ardeth both stood up wobbily as well, as the latter pulled off the cap and goggles off his head. Sailor Venus somehow unstrapped herself, but was too dizzy to notice that Jonathan was still stuck, while Rick slowly slid himself out of his seat, then yelped as he fell and landed on his butt on the ground, wobbily on the legs as well. Sailor Mars stood up slowly on her shaky legs.
"That wasn't fun." Sailor Moon grumbled after she shook her head to get rid of the dizzy spells, convinced that she wasn't seeing stars or elephants anymore.
"Couldn't agree more." Tuxedo Mask replied, before asking, "Are you alright?"
The leader of the Sailor Team nodded, and said, "I'm fine. Just shaken."
"Excuse me?" Jonathan called out, "Um, a little help, would be useful, IF IT'S NOT TOO MUCH TROUBLE!" he screamed, as he was hanging upside down, stuck on the wing.
"Yeah, yeah, alright." Rick replied, as he came over to get Jonathan free, while Ardeth walked up to Rick's seat and yanked off the Thompson.
"On the bright side," Sailor Venus said, "We're still alive."
"Maybe not all of us." Sailor Mercury said sorrowfully as she went to check on Winston since she was closer, and sighed in sadness. She checked his pulse and found none. Rick came over and saw that the teenaged girl was right.
Just then, the plane moved, and everyone quickly backed away, even as Ardeth told them, "Quicksand! Get back! It's Quicksand!" and as the group got away from the quicksand, they all watched as the plane, with Winston still seated, sank into the dunes and disappeared forever. The Sailor Scouts were fighting back tears, while Rick gave the man he remembered from the army a salute. At least Winston finally got his wish for his death.
After a moment, the group moved on to Hamunaptra to rescue Evy and put an end to Imhotep once and for all.
Ten minutes after that, ground from underneath moved, and Team Rocket, who had built a digging machine, emerged after it decided to break down and they had to make an emergancy evacuation, had to use shovels to dig the rest of the way up, and were coughing up sand and dirt that managed to get into their mouths, and were exhausted.
They collasped onto the sand and sighed in relief. They had been wanting to follow Sailor Moon and her group to see if they could at least help out a little without risking their necks.
"I hate Egypt." Meowth whined. "Too much sand."
"This is like back in Agrabah and the most parts of the Orre Region all over again!" James moaned. "Next time, we're going to France!"
"No arguments there, for once." Jessie agreed, before standing up and ordered, "Now let's find those Sailor Twerps and get this over with so we can get out of this desert of nightmares."
Her two friends agreed, even if they were scared and wondered why they were doing this, since they should be concentrating on their real assignments-stealing Pokemon. But since they didn't want the world to be destroyed, they wanted to help. So, the Team Rocket trio continued on into the city of the dead.
Sailor Moon and her group arrived in the tunnles, and as she and her four guardians sat, feeling useless because Jonathan stated the women don't go digging into rocks, they and Jonathant watched Tuxedo Mask, Rick and Ardeth dig into the rocks that blocked their path. Plus, there wasn't much room for the Sailor Scouts to help anyway, so, what else could they do?
"I'd take those bigger stones first." Jonathan suggested, and Sailor Mars was telling trying to get him to shut up. He then continued, "Take them from the top, otherwise the whole thing will cave in on us."
"Won't he ever just shut up?" Sailor Jupiter groaned softly.
"Come on, put our backs into it." Jonathan told the three men, who then paused and turned to glare at him, panting. The englishmen looked scared and ready to pass out, while the women giggled at the sight. "Yes, well, you've got the idea. Chop-chop."
He sighed in relief as the other men continued. As the Sailor Scouts glanced at each other, Jonathan then noticed something on the walls, and placed the torch onto the ground, before plucking something off the wall and gazed at it. "You should come and have a look at this."
"Have a look at what?" Sailor Mars asked as she and the others stood up as well, joining him.
They gazed it, before their eyes widened, as in their horror, the small blue rock cracked open, and scarab digged itself into Jonathan's palm, and he screamed and squeaked, and the Sailor Scouts then quickly held onto him, trying to stop it from killing him, which caught the attention of the others who joined them quickly.
"What?" Rick asked.
"What is it?" Tuxedo Mask asked.
"My arm! My arm!" Jonathan cried out.
"It's those Scarab thingies!" Sailor Moon shrieked in a panic, as Rick ripped Jonathan's shirt off and the small lump moved up in the other man's arm. "Whoa!"
"Hold him!" Sailor Jupiter ordered, and the others did so.
"Do something! Do something!" Jonathan screamed. They all then watched as Rick pulled out a knife. "Not that! Not that!" and the women winced as Rick buried the knife into Jonathan's arm, causing the other man to grunt in pain, before the sacrab flew out and landed on the ground. It turned to get more, and Sailor Moon then pulled out a large mallot out of nowhere and slammed it hard onto the sacrab, creating an impact, before she slammed it again three more times, before hesitatedly lifts it up to see with a nervous sweat drop, as the others gathered around her, to see the now squashed and flattened sacrab, twitching a bit before falling limp, as it was in gooey pieces in a small puddle of insect blood.
"I would've just shot it." Rick muttered as he stared at the dead Sacrab, while Sailor Moon threw the mallot away.
"Congratulations." Sailor Mars said. "You've overcome your fear."
Sailor Moon glanced at her friend and said, "Hey, just because I hate spiders, at least I go out of my way to at least try and kill them, rather than just run away screaming. I'm not like Misty."
"How is it you confront spiders, and yet you run away from most fights?" Sailor Mars asked, skeptical.
"...Uh..." Sailor Moon muttered, realising that even she didn't know. She shrugged sheepishly, saying, "At least I'm getting better in fights."
"Maybe that's how the Warden died." Sailor Venus muttered in realization, before horror filled her expression and muttered, "Those things must've climbed into his head and were eating his brain..."
Everyone else all paled at this at the thought. As if none of them had enough nightmares with Mummies in them.
Rick lead the way into the tunnel once it was cleared, even though it was a crack in the wall, but it was better than nothing. Slipping through the crack on the other side of the wall, thankfully there was nothing waiting to kill them...for now, the group looked around in the dark, before Rick noticed an Ancient mirrior near the ceiling. He then shot it to tilt it upward to reflect the sun's light, and the room filled up instantly, revealing to be what the American rivals failed to find.
It was the treasure chamber, filled with all different kinds of treasure, gold, jewels, unpropertied and valuebable nature. Everyone was in awe, though not so much as Jonathan who's mouth dropped in disbelief at the sight of so much treasure. They all walked down the steps as they made their way.
"Can you see-" Jonathan began.
"Uh-huh." Sailor Moon nodded.
"Can you believe-"
"Yup." Sailor Venus muttered.
"Can we just-"
"No." Rick cuts Jonathan off, knowing what the other man wanted to say.
"Wow, check out all this treasure!" came a familiar voice which caused the group to quickly turn around, and to their annoyances, it was Team Rocket who had caught up with them and were staring at the treasure with glee and awe. The trio then noticed the group and then Meowth covered his mouth, realising his mistake, and Jessie and James both went on to scold him in anger.
"Not you again!" Sailor Moon grunted in angered annoyance, as the trio caught up with the group.
"Why are you three here?" Sailor Mars demanded.
"We felt kinda embarrassed in ditching you twerps earlier." Jessie began.
"So we decided to help you out again here." James continued.
Meowth then giggled in embarrassment and finished, "Without risking our necks, as you would know."
"I find that hard to believe." Sailor Moon muttered, supicious.
Just then, a sickening croaking sound made them to look and Team Rocket to whip around in fear, Rick and Ardeth pointing guns at what-ever made the noise, and Tuxedo Mask to pull out his cane. A mummified hand bursted out of the ground and pulled it's body out. More and more followed, and Team Rocket and Sailor Moon shivered in fear, while the trio stood close to the group.
"Who're those guys?" Sailor Moon asked, shivering.
"Priests." Ardeth answered. "Imhotep's priests."
"All right, then." Rick said, before they all began to fire. Sailor Moon used her Tiara to slice several mummies in half, Sailor Mars burned them with her fire, Sailor Jupiter electricuted some with her Thunder-Crush, Sailor Venus blasted them with her Cresent Beam, Sailor Mercury used her Shine-Aqua illusion to soak them, Jessie called out her Seviper to use it's poison tail attack with out having it kill itself, and Rick and Ardeth shot the mummies with their guns, with Jonathan taking hold of Rick's pistols and joined in the fight, as the group backed away into the tunnels, James and Meowth scared as hell. Tuxedo Mask whacked and smacked at the mummies with his cane, causing damage to the enemies as they were destroyed by each whack.
Soon Jonathan found that the guns he had run out of ammo and led the way down the tunnels, causing James to take his place in the fight.
"Come on out, Carnivine!" James called out as he threw a Pokeball into the air, and his carnivore-like plant Pokemon appeared in a flash, before, as usual, turned around and bites James on the head, causing it's trainer to yelp like a girl, and he tried to get the Pokemon off before it accidently eats him, much to the annoyance of Jessie and Meowth, and the confusion of everyone else.
"Not me! Them!" James ordered in a panic. It listend and got off him, and despite it freaking out at the enemies, which James felt sorry for, he commanded it, "Use Bullet Seed!"
Carnvine, while scared, did as it was told and fired bullet seed attack which was a direct hit on the Mummies while it followed the others down the tunnels, as the fight continued on, though more kept on coming. Sailor Moon wished she could use the Clone-Clow Cards, but with her team with her, it was near impossible.
Finally, they all made it out of the hall and into another chamber that resembled the one the statue of Anubis was in. The difference, the statue of a large man in a throne with a head of a bird. "There he is!" Jonathan grinned. "Hello, Horus, old boy!"
As the group continued to fire, even though Ardeth was forced to abandon the Thompson due to it running out of ammo, and Rick gave him his shotgun to use, the latter lit a match on Ardeth's face and then used it to lit a dynamite. "Time to close the door."
The group quickly dove behind the statue of Horus, just in time as the dynamite exploded and blew the Mummies into several pieces. Sailor Moon sighed in relief, before the group quickly got to work to dig out the bottom of the statue where they hoped the Golden Book was, their key and only hope in killing Imhotep.
"Please let the book be in here and we're not too late!" Sailor Moon mumbled as she was beginning to panic.
They had to hurry, and seriously fast.
A/N: I think it's safe to say that the next chapter may be the last one and the Epilogue comes after that. Who knows? Like I said in the earlier chapters, this story is set within season 6 of Sailor Moon, which is the beginning of the second Saga of Sailor Moon Continuum.
In the meantime, fellow readers, please continue your great reviews, and I'll see you next time, for the final battle!
